Medical marijuana laws and workplace fatalities in the United States

dc.contributor.authorAnderson, D. Mark
dc.contributor.authorRees, Daniel I.
dc.contributor.authorTekin, Erdal
dc.date.accessioned2019-02-26T18:23:35Z
dc.date.available2019-02-26T18:23:35Z
dc.date.issued2018-10
dc.description.abstractAIMS The aim of this research was to determine the association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities. DESIGN Repeated cross-sectional data on workplace fatalities at the state-year level were analyzed using a multivariate Poisson regression. SETTING To date, 29 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Although there is increasing concern that legalizing medical marijuana will make workplaces more dangerous, little is known about the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and workplace fatalities. PARTICIPANTS All 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1992-2015. MEASUREMENTS Workplace fatalities by state and year were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regression models were adjusted for state demographics, the unemployment rate, state fixed effects, and year fixed effects. FINDINGS Legalizing medical marijuana was associated with a 19.5% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities among workers aged 25-44 (incident rate ratio [IRR], 0.805; 95% CI, .662-.979). The association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities among workers aged 16-24, although negative, was not statistically significant at conventional levels. The association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities among workers aged 25-44 grew stronger over time. Five years after coming into effect, MMLs were associated with a 33.7% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities (IRR, 0.663; 95% CI, .482-.912). MMLs that listed pain as a qualifying condition or allowed collective cultivation were associated with larger reductions in fatalities among workers aged 25-44 than those that did not. CONCLUSIONS The results provide evidence that legalizing medical marijuana improved workplace safety for workers aged 25-44. Further investigation is required to determine whether this result is attributable to reductions in the consumption of alcohol and other substances that impair cognitive function, memory, and motor skills.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24 HD042828)en_US
dc.identifier.citationAnderson, D. Mark, Daniel I. Rees, and Erdal Tekin. "Medical marijuana laws and workplace fatalities in the United States." International Journal of Drug Policy 60 (October 2018): 33-39. DOI:10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.07.008.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1873-4758
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/15294
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rightsThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en_US
dc.titleMedical marijuana laws and workplace fatalities in the United Statesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
mus.citation.extentfirstpage33en_US
mus.citation.extentlastpage39en_US
mus.citation.journaltitleInternational Journal of Drug Policyen_US
mus.citation.volume60en_US
mus.data.thumbpage21en_US
mus.identifier.categoryBusiness, Economics & Managementen_US
mus.identifier.doi10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.07.008en_US
mus.relation.collegeCollege of Agricultureen_US
mus.relation.departmentAgricultural Economics & Economics.en_US
mus.relation.universityMontana State University - Bozemanen_US

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